


Always

by Ghostwriter (Zoya_Zalan)



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-27
Updated: 2015-04-27
Packaged: 2018-03-25 23:31:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3828934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zoya_Zalan/pseuds/Ghostwriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A ring and a promise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Always

**Author's Note:**

> **DISCLAIMER** : Paramount owns all things Voyager; I'm just borrowing. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
> **Note** : I think this is one of the first J/C pieces I wrote. It’s hard to believe that was 17 years ago…
> 
> Written January 1998.

~ * ~ * ~

When Chakotay finally found Captain Kathryn Janeway, alone among the wild decorations still left in the Mess Hall, she was sitting quietly, watching out the observation window. The room was darkened, save for the starlight which highlighted her soft features. He hesitated before crossing the room to where she sat. She had that faraway look about her, and he didn't wish to intrude upon her thoughts. The feel of the present he had in his hand finally urged him forward. At the sound of his footsteps, Janeway turned and smiled.

"Hello, stranger," she said softly. "How was your trip?"

"Well," he began, pulling up a chair beside her, "the Zantians are certainly a hospitable people. We should have no problem negotiating for supplies. I could do without their three hour greeting and farewell ceremonies, though."

She chuckled, shaking her head. "I guess we'll have to grin and bear it. Their planet is rich in resources; we may wind up being here for a few days."

"Sorry I missed your party," he grinned, handing her the carefully wrapped present. Smiling gently, she took the small package from him, but didn't move to open it. Instead, she gazed at it thoughtfully.

"Thank you, Chakotay." Her voice was a soft whisper.

"But you haven't opened it yet," he replied.

Her face grew serious as she continued to look at his gift. Do you know how old I am?" she asked.

"Are you going to make me guess?"

She smiled again at his words. "I turned forty-six today..." her voice trailed off into a whisper. "Forty-six," she repeated, shaking her head. Chakotay remained silent as she worked through her thought. "I guess I'd always imagined things being different by the time I reached this age."

"What, you mean the thought of being stranded 60,000 light years from home never occurred to you?" This time she laughed outright at his comment.

"I thought..." she began after a moment, growing serious once more, "I guess I imagined a comfortable home, a loving husband... maybe even a baby..." He saw tears glistening in her eyes. She was taking this birthday pretty hard.

"You're not that old, Kathryn," he assured her softly. "You could still have those things."

She looked up, startled by the depth of his thoughts — both spoken and unspoken — and was further stunned by what she saw in those beautiful brown eyes. They reflected all his love for her; he was hiding nothing. Her heart began to ache with longing as a little voice in the back of her head kept saying, _You can't let that happen_ , over and over. She finally took a deep breath, finding the courage to break eye contact.

"Yes... I could."

"Kathryn..."

She closed her eyes, not wanting him to see her torment. She so desperately wanted to reach out to him, to tell him how she felt. The weight on her heart was unbearable. She heard him take a breath, preparing to say something more, but the sound of Tuvok's voice over the comm stopped him.

"Commander Chakotay, please report to the Bridge."

Chakotay let out his breath in the form of a silent chuckle. He tapped his combadge. "I'm on my way, Tuvok," he replied. The tension had been broken.

Janeway looked at him once more, a crooked grin on her face. "He does have impeccable timing, doesn't he?" Janeway asked playfully. He stared down at his hands, still smiling. When he looked at her once more, only a hint of the passion he'd expressed was still showing in his dark eyes. The rest was carefully subdued.

"May I at least give you a birthday kiss, Kathryn?" he asked gently.

She shivered; he'd never been so bold. _What the hell_ , she thought. _It is my birthday..._ She nodded her consent.

Slowly, he leaned forward, their gazes locked. She felt him take one of her hands in his. When his face was mere inches from her own, their breath mingling sweetly, he stopped and lifted the back her hand to his lips, kissing it gently, reverently. His eyes never left hers. She felt a lump forming in her throat, felt tears stinging her eyes, but she couldn't look away from him. When he finished brushing his lips against her hand, he pulled back, still caressing her fingers, and stood up. "Happy birthday," he whispered, letting go of her hand and brushing his fingers lightly under her chin before turning to leave.

Minutes after he'd gone, she still sat there, shivering from the experience. She was dazed. She was stunned. She was so deeply in love with him she couldn't think straight. Absently, she turned back towards the observation window and discovered his present still lying there unopened. Her fingers fumbled with the wrapping paper, still shaking from his touch. When at last she managed to extract her gift, she held a gold and silver ring accompanied by a handwritten note in her hand. The two precious metals were wrapped around each other in a delicate pattern that remained unchanged around the ring's entire circumference. Its simplicity represented something very profound, and Janeway was moved by how deeply it touched her. Opening the note, she read Chakotay's graceful handwriting, not bothering to wipe away the tears that streamed down her face.

_With this ring, Kathryn, I make you a_  
_promise. No matter how far apart our_  
_paths meander, or how many trials we_  
_face in our uncertain future, I will_  
_always be your friend, and I will always_  
_be there for you. You are not alone._

_All My Love,_

_Chakotay_

Bits of wrapping paper were still floating silently to the floor as the door to the Mess Hall closed behind Janeway’s running form.

~ * ~ finis ~ * ~


End file.
